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Lewisburg Alphabet: A is for Ard’s

Welcome to the Lewisburg Alphabet!

I love living inLewisburg, this little town that…I’ve adopted? Or that’s adopted me? Eh, it’s a toss-up. I just know I’m really happy in this place, which still comes as a surprise to someone who had previously thought of herself as a city person.

It’s beautiful here. And charming. And quaint. And groovy. It’s part Norman Rockwell, part funky college town, set in a gorgeous countryside. So why shouldn’t I celebrate it? Here’s to Lewisburg (and perhaps a bit beyond the town’s borders, into the central PA area).

A. That’s for Ard’s.

Could it get any more adorable?

Ard’s Farm Marketis a constantly-growing–nay, evolving–farm market along Route 45 in Lewisburg. It started as a roadside farm stand how many years ago…thirty? Forty? Long before I came to town, that’s for sure. Eventually it was given a more permanent structure. Then it was expanded upon. When the next generation of the Ard family took over, though, they came in with ideas.

It looks like such a simple place.

Inside this building is some of the best pulled pork ever, and it makes my stomach growl whenever I walk in and smell it. They have a bustling restaurant and all sorts of seasonal celebrations. A corn maze in autumn (and a pumpkin toss!). A summer fun runand party. I get my tree there every Christmas. And they have all manner of goods inside.

Guess what season we are currently in.

Gift baskets! Local food! Products from local artists! Hand-dipped chocolates! Local cheeses! Freshly-ground peanut butter (which is the BEST peanut butter I’ve ever eaten, but I digress)! I will knock you down for their yogurt-dipped pretzels! And there’s more relish than you can shake a stick at!

I go a little bonkers in there in the fall, when the pumpkins come in. There’s little I like to eat more than squash and pumpkin, so when I have a choice of different squash varieties, I buy them all. At once. Because I can’t decide what I want most, so I bring them home and let me and George sort it all out.

But their real appeal, for me, lies in their rustic charm. It’s a little chunk of Americana, complete with fresh pie.

More than a few people I know want an Ard’s pie for their birthday, instead of a cake.

Plus, the matriarch of the Ard family comes to one of my classes at the gym, so I feel like I get to rub elbows with local royalty.

Fun fact:An ardis an early sort of scratch plow, which was in use cultivating farm lands a thousand years ago. I have a picture of the digging end of an ard, recovered from a Vikingarchaeological digin Reykjavik. The handles, made of wood, have long rotted away.

Ard. For real.

So really, it makes sense that they’re farmers, what with their name meaning “plow”, and all.

Finally: Here’s a tip o’ the hat to my fellow blogger atouchmybackhurts, who gave me the idea (and his blessings) for the Lewisburg Alphabet. Go check him out! He’s got a Dublin Alphabet, it’s super fun.

6 responses to Lewisburg Alphabet: A is for Ard’s

I always make an Ard’s run when I’m home! My Ard’s love is even undiminished after a (mild) bout of food-borne illness after eating at their salad bar last fall. I’ll eat there again and like it, darn it! And visit the petting zoo afterwards.

oh, a is for ards! we should have an following. I have been to ards. bring on the b. great idea. love this! of course i do, it’s your blogging! (and they have good icecream! and oooh, summer on the patio!)

I remember going to this when I lived in Lewisburg during my high school years. Glad it’s still going strong! Great place…..and yes….yummy foods galore. Looking forward to B, followed by C, and then D, and then E……

On a totally different note…I just wanted to tell you that I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that spicy Brussels sprouts recipe you posted a long while ago. (with the roasted walnuts) Oh. My. Goodness. I have made this so often now, beginning to turn a bit green…..LOL

Ard’s is going stronger than ever, I think. I hear from Nancy (the Ard’s matriarch of mention) how much they’ve got in the works. It’s a wonderful business and I’m glad to kick off the alphabet with them. 🙂 As for B, C…most of them are still under discussion! LOL

I am delighted to hear you love one of the recipes I posted! I haven’t been cooking as much as I used to because my schedule changed (so George cooks, mostly) but I miss it, and writing about it. Happy eating! Yay for Brussels sprouts.